Wire fabric



May 27, 1930. w. H. SOMMER 1,760,447

WIRE FABRIC Filed Nov. 15, 1928 ZSheecs-S'leet 1 'INVEIETEJE.

May 27, 1930. w. H. SOMMER 1,760,447

WIRE FABRIC Filed Nov. 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 27, 1930mam WILLIAM H. SUMMER, PEQRIQTLLINOIS l WIRE FABRIC Application filedNovember 15, 1928. Serial No. 319,605.

This invention has reference to wire fabrics, and while the fabric towhich reference ismade is designed particularly fornse as fish-trapstructure, it may be found,,due to 5 its structural characteristics,'tohave other and various uses.

The invention has for its principal object to improve wire fabrics,particularly in the mode or manner ofattaching the stay wires,

, 10 which are arranged crosswise to longitudinal strand or line wires,to the selvage or marginal wires arranged parallel to the longitudinalstrand or line wires. The improvement, therefore, is inproviding selvageor marginal wires for the fabric, consisting of two adjacently placedwires, each preferably of the same gage or cross-sectional area as thelongitudinal strand or line wires and the stay wires, and coiling orwrapping the ends of the stay wires around the two adjace'ntly placedwires which constitute themarginal r or selvage wires of the fabric.Such a structure provides a wrap of the ends of stay wires around themarginal or selvage wires of oval shape incontradistinction to circularor round wraps which have been common in such fabricswhere the ends ofthe stay wires have been wrapped around preferably single marginal orselvage strands of a, gage or cross-sectional area larger than that ofthe longitudinal strand or line wires and the stay wires. The fact thatthe wraps of the ends of the stay wires around two adjacently I placedwires, forming the marginal or selvage strands, are oval-shape increasesmaterially the resistance to unwrapping; in fact, the use of such wrapshas demonstrated that the stay wires are breakable before the wraps willcome loose. An advantage which is obtained in the use of the adj acentlyplaced two wires forming the marginal or selvage wires, and which are ofthe same gage or cross-sectional area as the other wires of the fabric,is in the greater flexibility obtained by the use of the two-wireselvages, than is the case where a single large. strand or wire is used,due to the fact that the two-wire selvages have a lower resistancetobending, and it is much easier to straightenout and lay the fabric atth t prev ously h een ro11e ,t anis the case where thereis employedinthefabric single marginal or selvage strands where such strands are largerin diameter than the other wires. Furthermore, there is obtained by theuse of the two-strand margin or selvage, which are equivalentinsectional area to a single strand of wire, greater flexibility in suchstrands than there is with the useof such single strands, and withoutthe sacrifice of the tensile strength of such strands, as theequivalent-of tensile strength is present in said two-strand selvages.

The invention has for a further object to provide half or completetwists of the adjacently placed two wires forming themargi- .nal orselvage wires of the fabric between the respective stay wires, toequidistantly place the same, the ends of which are wrapped by ovalwrapsaround the two-strand marginal or selvages.

In the use of Wire fabrics for fish-trap structures, particularly in thesalmon industries, these fabrics are supported in lengths, either withthe lengths of the fabrics disposed vertically in the water, with thelengths connected to each other, or in horizontal positions in the waterwith lengths of fabrics superimposed one abovethe other and suitably,connected to each other and sustained by 'pilings or other, suitablemeans and weighted in a manner to keep the fabric taut. In the use ofsingle-strand marginal or selvage wires, objection has been found in theends of the stay wires becoming unwrapped or uncoiled therefrom as aresult of stresses or strains ,put upon the fabric, due to pressuresfrom extraneous substances in the Water coming in contact therewith.which results in the destroyingand tearing,

away of the stay wires from the fabric. I

have found that by providing oval wraps or oval-shaped coils of theendsof the stay wires about two adj acently placed wires, forming themarginal or selvage wires of the fabric,

that there is required a very much greater pull on the stay wires topull themloose from the two-wire selvages.

That the invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to theaccompany ing drawings forming a part of this description, illustratinga preferred embodiment of the invention, in which Fig. 1 is anelevation'showing in a diagrammatic way, sections of my improved fabric,disposed in vertical positions in the water and with the selvages of theadjacently placed sections suitably connected together;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 except that the sections of thefabric are disposed horizontally in the water, in superimposed relationto each other, and the selvages of the adjacent sections suitablyconnected;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed View of portions of two separate sectionsof fabric suitably connected, each section havin selvage or marginalwires composed of two adj acently placed wires and with the ends of thestays wrapped by oval wraps or coils thereabout;

Fig. 4 is an edge view of Fig. 8;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 except that the two adjacently placedwires comprising the selvage or marginal wires show half or completetwists between the stays, which places I the stays equidistantly fromeach other;

Fig. 6 is an edge View of Fig. 5;

F i 7 is an enlarged detail in section showing the two adjacently placedwires forming the selvage or margin and with the ends of a stay wirecoiled or wrapped thereabout, 1n the form of an'oval wrap or coil; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail in section showing the manner of connectingmarginal or selvage wires of two sections of fabric, by preferablyhog-rings. I

Like characters of reference denote corres onding parts throughoutthefigures.

n the drawings, reference being had particularly to Figs. 1 and 2,sections of fabric embodying my invention are shown, each designated A.

These sections are placed in relation to each other in a manner in whichthey might he used when employed as fish-trap structure and supportedand associated in connection with pilings B. In Fig. 1 the sectlons A 7comprising the fabric are arranged or disposed in vertical position inthe water and the marginal or selvage wires of the said sections areconnected with each other by preferably hog-rings C, and the sections'of fabric constituting the structure are supportd or suspended from astringer D, also by means of hog-rings C, and the stringer connected tothe pilings B. \Veights, not shown, may be employed suspended from thelower portions of the sections of the fabric to hold the same taut. InFig. 2 the sections A of the fabric 7 are supported in what may betermed a horizontal position, that is,with the stay wires extendedvertically; whereas in Fig.- 1 the stay wires arepositionedhorizontally, and the said sections A are arranged insuperimposed position one above the other and the selvages of thesections connected by the hogrings C and the structure suspended from astringer D by means of the hog-rings G, and the stringer D beingconnected with the pilings. No limitation is placed on the manner andform in which the sections of the wire fabric may be arranged withrespect to each other, as is evidenced by the disclosures in Figs. 1 and2.

I have shown the fabric composed of preferably longitudinally disposedselvage or marginal wires 1, the intermediate longitudinal line wires 2spaced from each other and from the marginal or selvage wires, and thestay wires 8 connected at their intersections with the line wires 2 bymeans of staple ties 4, and the ends of the stay wires wrapped or coiledabout the marginal or selvage wires 1 by means of a series of wraps orcoils 5 thereabout. The stay wires are suitably spaced from each other,as is the ease with the line or marginal and selvage wires, but as tothe character or extent of such spacings between each of these severalwires, I am not concerned, as the meshes formed by these wires may be ofany size or character as may be desired and most useful for the purposesfor which the fabric is intended.

The marginal or selvage Wires 1, as provided in the structure best seenin Figs. 3 and 4-, comprise two adjacently placed wires, preferably oneabove the other or in superimposed relation, and each preferably of agage or cross-sectional area as the stay wires and intermediate linewires constituting the fabric and by reason of such construction of themarginal or selvage wires and the arrangement of the individual wiresforming the same the wraps or coils of the ends of the stay wiresthereabout are in the form of an oval wrap or coil, the greatest lengthof which is in the plane of the length of the stays as is best seen inFigs. 4, 6 and 7.

This oval wrap or coil, as has been previously stated, increasesmaterially the resistance to unwrapping of the ends of the stay wiresabout the marginal or selvage wires, when any unusual strain or stressis applied to the stay wires. Furthermore, as has been previouslystated, there is an advantage in such a structure, due to the greaterflexibility obtained by the use of the two-wire selvage strandover thesame sectional area of a single larger selvage strand, especially whenit is desired to straighten out and lay a fabric flatthat has been preyiouslv rolled, as it is considerably easier to straighten out and laysuch a fabric embodying the two-wire selvage strand comprising wires'ofthe same gage or cross-sectional area as the other wires in that suchtwo-selvage strand wires have a lower resistance to bending than asingle larger selvage strand would have.

In Fig. 5 I show a fabric having the same general characteristics asthat shown in Fig.

3, with the exception that the two-wire selvage strands have half orcomplete twists as may be the case, between the spaced stay Wires, whichgives a positive spacing and results intheir equidistant location fromeach other. However, at the point of the application of the oval wrapsof the ends of the stay Wires about such marginal or selvage wires thetwo adj acently placed wires forming the marginal or selvage Wires arepreferably in superimposed or overlying relation with respect to eachother, whereby the oval shape or coil of the wraps are in the plane ofthe length of the stay wires, requiring very much greater pull on thestay wires to pull them loose from such. two-wire selvage than would hethe case where the stay wires are wrapped by a round coil on asingle-wire selvage.

What I claim is 1-- A Wire fabric including longitudinal marginal andintermediate line Wires and crossconnected stay Wires, the marginalwires comprising a pair of Wires disposed in contacting relationthroughout their length, said wires being disposed in a substantiallyvertical plane and the ends of the stay wires connected to said marginalwires by a series of oval coils tightly disposed exteriorly around saidmarginal wires, the greatest length of the oval coils being in the planeof the length of the stay wires, and said coils being com pletely filledby said marginal wires, whereby to preventshil'ting of the marginalwires relative to each other.

WILLIAM H. SOMMER.

